Transition have just released a brand new bike for their lineup...the Spur. It's one of the most unique bikes I've ridden. I had the opportunity to ride it for a month before it was released.
This would probably be the ultimate bike for the flat trails with short climbs and even shorter descents here in Dallas! How awesome of Transition. Thanks for sharing, Clint. By the way, I think your channel is my favorite on RU-vid. I get tired of the repetitiveness of many MTB youtubers with their corny phrases they say at the end of the videos and all of the rad-stoke-bro acts. You just keep it real and your videos are almost therapeutic to me! 😂
LOL! You just summed up 90% of mtb RU-vidrs. Be awesome/stoked/dope/ rad/sick/real/ steezy/flow/ gnarly. Gawd, I sound like my sister inlaw when she's on chaperone duty.
Love these types of bikes. Capable beyond the travel and specs you see on paper but feels like an XC/light trail bike when you aren't pointed downhill.
@@Farthendur I disagree. I think that for many people that don't have a bunch of elevation the 115's geo is quite sensible. Most of us don't have mountains to climb and descend so super slack head tube angles and super seat tube angles for long climbs are both unnecessary. I can get a lot more fun out of a bike that has geo that fits the terrain around me. I think people need to realize this. Just because bikes are getting slacker and going in 1 direction doesn't mean that it's what you need.
Thanks Clint! The Spur looks great! - Spot Ryve, Niner Jet 9 RDO, Trek Top Fuel, Pivot Mach 429SL, Scalpel, Tallboy, Yeti 115, Epic Evo, thank Ibis Ripley, this geometry just nails the sweetspot, we can’t really lose here, I suppose it comes down to which company really stands behind their product, cheers!
Sharp looking bike from Transition,. With that said I purchased my wife an Intense Sniper Trail which also has 120mm front and rear and 66.5 degree head angle. Sure it has some frame flex but at her weight of 110lbs it perfect. Intense I think beat everyone to the "Down Country" genre of XC/Trail bikes. Love to see a review between the Intense and Transition. Great video as usual explaining the the bike!! Let me know the next time your coming to N GA. Be great to meet yah and ride with yah. Scott
I think it would be cool to compare this to the Giant Trance 29. They're basically the same exact category of bike. Slack HA with wide bars and long reach, but with short travel.
Hi Clint, thank you for an informative video. Listening to your commentary I would say this bike compares with a Scott Spark. Not the RC bike but the 120mm bike. I ride a Spark 910 and it does all the things you describe very well. The Spark uses Scott’s twin lock system to adjust the suspension according to terrain and if compatible with this bike’s components it is something I will recommend. Take care and safe riding. Johan
Oh yeah!! Just when you think you have all the bikes you ever need.. this comes along.. looks perfect in my book. But I can visualize it with a 130 or 140 front to slacken it a hair more and raise the low bb..
I use 680mm bars (cut them down from 720mm) on my XC Hardtail. And I'm very happy with them. There a lot of narrow gaps between trees where I ride and much wider bars just wouldn't be fun there. Also I found wide bars horrible for getting to the trails (10km road for me) because I just feel like a sail.
Appreciate your vids and have been following you for years Wish you could go back to doing more videos on more affordable bikes for those of us not willing to spend 5k on a FS bike.
Thats really nice. Basically looks like a trek top fuel. Let me know how that one up dropper works out. I just bought on for my lux but haven't installed it yet. You could ride any trail in north ga with that bike. It's a looker too.
@@ClintGibbs October is the projected timeline. Gives me time to get some parts lined up for the build... going from a 15 Epic. This should be a lot more fun. I’m an XC guy, I’ll build the Spur fairly light, and put on a dropper when I do the trails that need one. Around my parts the downs aren’t too rowdy. Hope to do some more stage races ect, and not feel like the bike will spit me over the bars haha. Thx for the great content!
Revel ranger, Transition Spur, Specialized Evo and the new Yeti. Awesome new down country options for more aggresive riders wanting lighter bikes as well as XC riders wanting more fun on a bike.
Great vid Clint! Yes, definitely looking forward to the forthcoming XC comparison video. Ready to buy a more dedicated race bike (currently own a superb bike - a 2018 Jet9) ... indeed the angles are a HUGE question mark for me at the moment and specially with the Epic’s new recipe. For a second I was all set with the Canyon Lux.. now I don’t even know where to start again. HELP! lol thanks Clint.
P.S. Bummer! Without demos due to Covid. I am certain videos like these are the go-to source right now for making a decision. These are very helpful Clint, thank you. My budget is about 6k and I’m stuck at - analysis paralysis.
Based on my testing I think a 68 degree head angle it's about perfect for a cross-country race bike. My current RKT9 has a 70 with the 124. It's lightning fast but you need to be cautious on sketchy terrain. 66 is a bit too slack for my tight trails for all out cross-country hammer mode. I can highly recommend a cross-country race bike with a 12 0 fork like I have on my RKT
It looks stunning, I've been waiting for these lightweight trail bikes too long, what does worry me is using flexible seatstays rather than a pivot on the rear triangle long term, it will surely eventually fail, trek with the supercaliber and specialized with the epic evo are doing it too as well as a few others, what happens when it does fail? I wouldn't want to be riding the bike when it does
Flex stays have been used for quite a long time now. I guess we have to trust the engineers and manufacturers. If there was a chance of them failing like that they would not be used anymore.
I guess carbon does not have a fatigue life like aluminum, so it could be fine, but I'm suspicious as well. If they goofed on the design, they'll just drop a new bike and you're stuck when the warranty is out.
Entry level dual mtb giant stance good bike but guess what flexi rear triangle had an early giant Yukon sx when novice had flexi rear that failed vquicklynow I know its no surprise
When they fail mtb frames there are enough strong points in frame to prevent a complete separation my experience but mtb dual sus frames have a hard life t800 carbon has disappointed me not worth the hype or money my first carbon rims have to wait and see hello.from Australia
Great review. I recently picked up a felt decree that has a similar design to this. I love it but I am looking for suggestions for a better Front tire. My trails are fairly similar to yours up in east TN, lots of rocks and roots. Would you recommend the Dissector or something different for a light trail bike front tire? I have thought about the minions but am worried they are too enduro.
i really do like this bike. my only non-preference about it is the inability to mount two bottle cages like you can on the epic evo and scalpel se. darn near perfect otherwise.
Great review! I have been thinking about the Yeti SB100/115, and Revel Ranger as my next bike, but this might be the perfect fit. Most of my riding is 20+ mile rides on terrain that isn't too gnarly in Colorado Front Range (Buffalo Creek etc.), also I am doing the Leadville 100 next year. Looks like this bike is lighter than both others I was considering and X01 build looks like a pretty darn good value. When is the XC lap time video coming out? Can't wait!
Clint, when you talk about frame flex in chunky terrain, are you sure it's not fork flex? A SID is not the stiffest. From my experience, a little lateral flex helps the bike snake through. A flexy fork however makes it hard for the rider to stick to a line when it gets rough.
I'm actually in the process of reaching out to Transition to see if they have tested fork flex on this frame (i.e. Fox Stepcast vs Rockshox SID). So yes, you are correct and we're thinking alike.
Where are these trails, Florida? Look like a jungle compared to Ca. where I live lol.. Loving all these new aggro XC bikes coming out! Solid review, well spoken.
how is this any different then a cube stereo wich has been available since 2012ish? even comparing the 2 high end models side by side there's a too large gap in cost to even make this bike relevant in europe.
Have you had any seat time on a Ripley or SB100? If so, can you draw any comparisons or contrasts? What's your height and weight? Also, what frame size were you riding? On paper this bike seems to best all its competitors in the 120mm travel class for the trails I ride. I'm currently riding a Ripley and it monster trucks over most terrain but there are times the steeper head angle and flexy rear end get overwhelmed. Plus, the high speed compression hits just jar the frame no matter what shock or tune I've tried. Right now I'm down to the Spur and Ranger as the two bikes on my short list. The Sniper T is in the shadows if Intense makes a few updates for '21. BTW, great review!
sleeper category I have been using my older EPIC and its just keeps trucking and a extra 20mm travel for older body would be sweeet and I still prefer fitness orientated long rides instead of 20min climb and 2min decent a enduro style bike can get boring
What are your thoughts on 120 front 120 rear? general trend is a little more travel in front compared to the rear. did you use the 120 rear? did you wish you had more up front?
To me it felt very balanced. I think the main thing is that bike builders will optimize the geometry around a certain travel fork. That's more important than the exact amount of travel upfront in my opinion.
Let me think here: you've already done a timed lap comparison between this bike and the Niner ... and the Niner is up for sale ... let's just say you have my full attention with that. Still I'm a little skeptical, knowing how good that Niner is.
hi clint i have a spark rc 2021 and I'm seriously thinking of getting one of those SPUR for racing, and I think it would adapt very well to the demands of modern xc circuits,H ow about pedaling efficiency? I would like your opinion, greetings friend
Peddling efficiency is great on this bike. If you search RU-vid for "Clint Gibbs transition spur" you'll see a bunch of videos where I compare this to my traditional cross-country bike. The results were surprising! My XC bike is very very fast
The weight I showed in the video was after converting to tubeless. In the video I have coming up comparing it to my cross-country bike I get more into the weight.
Dam Clint you don't mess around even Transition only just got their promo video up! Killer bike, i have had my eye on a YT Izzo for a while this is another great option to now consider. Any idea why the rear brake line is externally routed but the derailleur cable gets internal routing?
That's the way it is on my Sentinel as well. I think it's for ease of maintenance. It's clean inside but a pain to have to bleed your brake anytime you want to remove it from the bike.
Really dig your video and how get into details and lay out a bike. Transition, interesting bike. I’m trying to narrow down a bike for my everything under the sun bike. You have one bike as your fun do everything bike, do you go with this or your Niner?
I'll be really testing the Spur and the Jet 9 RDO back to back over the next couple of months on a wide variety of terrain. So at this point I can't really answer that question but hopefully will in the future!
What are the minimal frame protectors you put on there (where do you get them)? Looks like a small one on rear triangle and small one on the crank arm for foot rub
Love the bike and the review. Not surprised by your time trial results. No information on availability on the web site. Any insight? Like weeks, months, winter?
No, there is no cable rattling. Only the brake cable is external, which is the way it is on most of my other bikes. If it's a good design, i.e. secured well, it won't rattle.
Have not thrown leg leg over that bike yet but from what I hear they are pretty similar. And their headquarters are right down the street from each other!
Great review, also enjoyed the video comparison to your Niner. Quick question: I ride very similar trails in and around Tallahassee to what you ride, and have been thinking of a Tallboy as my next bike. Thoughts on how the Spur and TB compare? Thanks.
I don't think you could go wrong with either. Both are great bikes. I would have to ride the new Tallboy to really answer your question intelligently. What I can tell you is the Spur is an incredible bike that I can highly recommend.
I may have missed this but what was the weight with the race wheels tubeless? Also what size are you riding? I ride a 2018 Epic right now and I am ready to make a switch to the Spur, Epic Evo 2021, Pivot Mach 4 SL, or the Blur TR.
I think the front triangle is big enough for a frame bag. of course being full suspension you're not going to be able to use a rack mounted to the frame or fork so you're talking light bike packing.
I can only judge from paper. The epic Evo looks similar but it seems the Spur is more capable in the descents because of the slacker head tube angle and a little bit more travel in the rear.
I’ve ridden South Mountain in Arizona but not Sedona, so I cannot speak from personal experience riding there. As with other down country bikes, this bike can handle some pretty chunky terrain. As long as you don’t try to bomb it. You have to pick your lines a bit more carefully. You can handle 2 to 3 foot drops as long as you know how to land softly. The biggest advantage is climbing.
